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Templates
Here are the template that the SGPA uses to create profiles for their heroes, villains, and NPCs! Be sure to read the instructions before trying to download and fill in any of these profiles! It can save you a lot of trouble! # Decide what type of character you are creating. #* If they are mainly a hero, choose the HERO template (green), #* if they are mainly a villain or acts as an antagonist getting in the way of heroes, choose the VILLAIN template (purple) #* If they are a background character, like a family member, a minor character, or mentor to the hero or something similar, choose the NPC (non-playable character) template (yellow) #Do you have PHOTOSHOP or a program you can use to edit PHOTOSHOP FILES (.psd) and you are also familiar with basic Photoshop features such as LAYERS? #*NO: Download and use the SIMPLE TEMPLATE version #*YES: Download and use the PHOTOSHOP TEMPLATE version #Do you have confidence in creating your own hero and drawing them for the template? #*NO: Try downloading the BASIC BASES or YOUNG JUSTICE STYLE BASES images and using that to try to create your character. It is found in the OTHER HELPFUL TOOLS section. #*YES: Draw your character any way you like and scan it in or copy and paste it into the template you will be using. #Do you know how to install fonts to use on the templates? #*NO: Please use "LUCIDA SANS UNICODE" as a font. It is clean and easy to read at small sizes. ALL COMPUTERS SHOULD HAVE THIS FONT (It may also be called "Lucida Unicode"). And do it in ALL CAPS and WHITE colour. #*YES: Please download the BOLSTER font and try using that. The link for the font can be found in the OTHER USEFUL TOOLS section. And do it in ALL CAPS and WHITE colour. #If you want to submit to the SGPA, don't modify the templates to different colours and fonts. If you want, upload your fancy version for your OWN gallery, but Character Profiles submitted to the SGPA should look consistent with one other, so use the standard Hero, Villain, or NPC templates. #Fill in the templates as you see fit. BUT DO IT NEATLY. Use the rectangle tool. EVERY basic art program, even MSpaint will have the rectangle tool. Also kep the text aligned well! Please don't just do a hack job to get things done quickly and submit some crooked rows of text that don't even bother aligning with the noted bullets or titles. Although, it's also best to try not to overpower your character by giving them max stats in everything. #Add in credits to the bottom of the image, such as the creator of the character (you), DC Comics/WB if you use any of their characters, and the SGPA if you are using the SGPA logo. # Look at the examples shown below in order to have an idea of how to fill the templates. # If you need some tips on how to create a character, check out the CHARACTER CREATION TIPS section. # If you are going to create a Wiki Profile for your character, upload your filled template into the SGPA Wiki, and make sure to name it something easy to remember, like YJ_charactername.PNG since you will be using that file name to fill in the profile in the wiki! These templates are 2x the size so you can add your art in and resize it down. Click on the links shown under the images below, and save the picture onto your computer. Edit the files using any art software you'd like. This is a photoshop file with the elements and text on different layers. Blending options are also turned on so an automatic outline is generated around the text. Edit the stat bars by going to the appropriate layer and deleting the bar down to where you think their skill level is. Each file is ~2.5mb in size. These templates are 2x the size so you can add your art in and resize it down to about 75% and it will look alright. Customize as you desire. Insert your own text as you see fit. If you don't have any programs that can use photoshop (.psd) files, or if you have problems with the files below, use the simple templates for editing. Give credit to the SGPA Group if you use the SGPA logo. If you don't, just credit WB/DC comics. 'BASIC BASES' Here are some really simplified bases made for a male and a female. There are different body types for each one (males: skinny, average, and buff; females: full-boded, average, and slim). Edit and mix-and-match as you desire. To change their heights, play around with waist AND leg length (make sure to lengthen the arms after you do that to keep things in proportion). The two coloured figures on the sides were made using the average bases. They serve as examples. As you can see, this is intended as a template people can use to design their super heroes on, but feel free to use it for whatever you need! You can use an art program to draw on top or print it out and trace it. It doesn't matter. 'YOUNG JUSTICE STYLE BASES' The following are bases in a Young Justice type of style. If you use the base, please credit it back to the SGPA (Super Galaxy Princess Alliance) and Meibatsu @ Deviantart.com . On the bases are neutral expressions with typical eyes found in Young Justice. The body shape is of a typical 15-16 year old fit male or female. On the right are alternate mouth shapes that you can put in instead. I also included alternate eyes and eyebrow shapes that you can swap in. Just cut and paste! Mix and match! Alter the base shape as you desire according to your needs. Add clothes and hair and colour it in! You can also print it out and help get some anatomy or drawing practice too~! 'FONT' The Bolster font is a free font that can be used to fill the templates in. DOWNLOAD: http://www.font-zone.com/download.php?fid=4142 INSTALLING THE FONT Click download and save the file on your desktop. - Windows 7 or Vista: right-click => "install font". It should install. - Windows XP: open your C:// drive => Windows folder => Fonts folder. Move the font file (bolster.ttf) into the Fonts folder and it should install. 'FREE ART SOFTWARE' There are a lot of programs you can use to start as a beginner! I recommend fiddling with Paint.NET and GIMP first to get the hang of using layer features. Paint.NET http://www.getpaint.net/ A very simple program to use (an extended MSpaint, with layers and such). The downside is that you should put your text on a separate layers because it cannot be edited once it is put down. If there is a typo, you can delete the layer and start over. There are a number of other plugins you can install with Paint.NET (such as a Photoshop compatibility plugin that will allow you to open .psd files). Only works on Windows operating systems (not for Macs or Linux). GIMP http://www.gimp.org/downloads/ GIMP is a flexible program. It features layers, editable text, different brush settings, many filters, and more. A lot like Photoshop, except it's free and the interface is a bit more like many different widgets on the desktop instead of staying in one program window. If you dont' have access to Photoshop, this program is greatly reccommended for its comparable flexibility for no cost, although the user interface takes a while to get used to. Compatible with Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux. Easy Paint Tool SAI - TRIAL VERSION http://sai.detstwo.com/sai/ This is the unofficial English translation of the very popular painting program. It's a very light-weight program that has flexible brush options and easy-to-use vector-making tools. It has very basic layer features and options to rotate the canvas around. Recommended to be used with a tablet. It does NOT feature text options. This is a TRIAL VERSION for 30 days. Only compatible with Windows operating systems (not for Macs or Linux). Check out the Wiki page for more. Look for FREEWARE and OPEN SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_raster_graphics_editors#List 'Helpful Links for Character Creation' * Mary Sue Litmus Test * Personality Traits List * Height and Weight Chart * List of Superhuman Features and Abilities * Differences Between Heroes and Anti-Heroes * Character Creation Guide Pt. 1: Personality (by Sheeply) * Character Creation Guide Pt. 2: Appearance (by Sheeply) * Character Creation Guide Pt. 3: Background (by Sheeply) Below are character creation tips from Meibatsu (Solar Cat). Feel free to use them to help you come up with a character. 'Meibatsu Character Creation Walkthrough' #Think of what character I want to make (OC, fandom OC, etc.) #Think of the kind of personality I want them to have #Think of what skills I want them to have and how they fit in the universe #Think of the advantages of drawbacks of the skill #Think of how the personality and the skill mix to make the character unique #Design the character with the personality and skills in mind #Make the character look unique in some way (clothing, accessory, physical feature, body language, etc.) #Doodle the character in various poses, expressions, gestures #Make a short comic with the character speaking or doing their thing #Have the character interact with another character, play off their dynamics #Think of what I want for the character in the future #Tweak, adjust, and deepen the character's backstory so it better reflects the direction of the character's present and future #Build up relationships between the character and other characters #Develop side and background characters to serve the character's backstory #Think about how the character develops in the future, their upgrades, their downgrades #Make more comics illustrating their backstory, their present, and their future developments #Keep using them and developing them! Or else I will abandon them or try to delete them! #Redevelop a character as necessary because ideas that seemed good at the time could actually suck later #If there is an old abandoned character that can be reused to fill the role of a new character being made, then pick them up, dust them off, and give them life again! 'More tips and thoughts on character creation' Make a character that you would actually enjoy reading about or seeing in action Lots of people like making characters as a way to express themselves, and to experiment with interacting with the world without actually having to do it themselves. Some people think of this as "wish fulfillment" or "self-insertion", but that's not always true. Sometimes I make characters just as an exercise in philosophy (e.g. How would such a person deal with the world? What if...? Could I understand a character that...?). Anyway, the important point is that it should be a character that interests YOU in some way. You should want to see them develop and grow in some way. You should be fascinated with their struggles and successes. You should want to understand why they are acting the way they are, or feeling the way they feel (and even if you don't know, you WANT to know). You should ENJOY them! Have fun with them! Now, lots of people may rag on about how THEY don't enjoy your character, but rule number one is that YOU enjoy your character because that character is YOURS. DO NOT LET OTHERS TAKE OVER AND DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTERS FOR YOU IN SPITE OF WHAT YOU REALLY WANT. I think people that do that are condescending, offensive, and frankly: not worth my time. Don't make the character so overpowered that all their conflicts are predictable and boring You want your character to be cool and awesome in SOME way. That's what makes them interesting to you. However, boredom will quickly settle in if they are SO COOL and SO POWERFUL and SO SUCCESSFUL that it becomes predictable. Then you will wonder, with all their coolness and good things going on, why you think they suddenly suck. And you will build contempt. And you will want them deleted. And that is sad. So, do not try to stack up your character with every cool skill you can think of. Don't try to make them 100% successful or super top class in everything. You won't have many other characters (your OWN characters even) that will want to bother even dealing with them. And in the end, a character that is alone with no characters "in their league" wanting to interact with them is practically an abandoned or deleted character anyway. Don't make the character so weak and pathetic that you wish they would just die off already On the other end of the spectrum, don't get so scared of making an overpowered character that you make a useless one. The same thing happens. They are a failure, and their failure is predictable. And you will get bored. And you will build contempt. And you will want them deleted too. Why were they made if only to be deleted? It's good to try to make a sympathetic character with flaws and weaknesses, but not so much that they become a pile of boring, whining, and pining uselessness. You will start wanting to kill them off in some way in order to "redeem" their uselessness, but in the end, you would hardly care about their death, even if you tried to make your other characters care. Make your character look unique so they stand out as your character Your character needs to look unique in some way. They should not look like every other character. Even if they are a "plain" character, something about them should make them stand out AS a character. That's what character design is half about when it comes to art. There needs to be some sort of thought put into the actual DESIGN. Is the silhouette unique? Are they recognizable in a sea of millions of other characters? Are they fun for YOU to draw? Can you draw a very quick doodle of them and they would still be recognizable to you? This is where the unique bits come in. Maybe it's just a stick doodle, but you can add in an accessory or hair style, and BAM, it's your character! Makes for easy and fast comics, which makes it easy to develop your character! Also important is that you start to be more consistent in how you draw your character so they look like the same person in different pictures, and the same in a comic across different panels. They should also look unique from all your other own characters. You don't want to be confused about which character is who, and certainly your audience doesn't want to be confused about that either! It is also very true that a lot of compelling character design requires a certain level of artistic ability. That is.. enough ability to get your idea across. If you don't even really know what's going on with your character visually, chances are no one else will either, and other people who are not even invested in your character will have less patience to try and figure it out. Creators have come from all skill levels and art styles, and characters have come from all those different levels. Just keep working at your craft and you will get more consistent and clear in communicating your ideas. If you can't get your idea across visually, and must instead list it in extravagant words that even very good artists will have a hard time rendering, it will fall on deaf ears and blind eyes, because no one will be convinced. Don't over-design a character too much Yah yah, there are a lot of great artists out there that can pull this off. If you're one of them, then that's good. But on the whole, characters with too many knick-knacks on them look like they are trying too hard to "be cool". And unless you intend your character to be an eternal "try hard", it's best to not overburden their design with stitch lines, zippers, bells, bows, hearts, lace, armour, gadgets, chains, knives, belts, ropes, etc. You gotta remember that if you intend to actually ever use that character again, you're going to have to DRAW THEM OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. And make sure you do it CONSISTENTLY. Now imagine trying to do that when your character is over-designed. You will wonder if they are so cool looking, then why don't you ever want to draw them in any meaningful way. It's because they became too complicated with "cool". It is also my deep belief that well-made character designs are the types that make others want to draw fanart of them. If it's pure frustration for fanartists to figure out and draw, then the design sucks. As for other over-designed elements of characters: don't try to throw every unique trait and combination you can think of onto them either. It just becomes a terrible list of things to "remember" because none of it will be especially meaningful in the end. Not every detail needs to be designed ahead of time. Little details can get developed as you use your character. Just like you would get bored and annoyed of a stranger you don't really know spouting off irrelevant information about themselves, people would get bored by a character that is nothing but a long list of "stuff". Boring = instantly ignored. Ignored = character abandonment/deletion. Make sure the character is compelling and believable Compelling (interesting and convincing) and believable means that the character fits in the universe that you are putting them in. It could be your own made up world/story or it could be a fandom. What matters is that they interact with that world in a way that it doesn't break that world's canon laws. Otherwise, eyes will glaze over and your character may as well not exist because people will ignore them. And eventually, you will ignore your character too because you will have a hard time developing a character who doesn't interact with the universe in a compelling way. Does the character's motivations make sense in that world? Does that background story make sense in that universe? Do they obey most of that universe's rules and are not popping in and out of every location and being a part of every event, etc? Make a character that other characters and the audience would actually want to interact with It is my belief that a true test of compelling character design is that other characters and the audience (which includes yourself, and your viewers, who could soon be your fans!) will want to interact with the character! They will want to get to know your character. Your character would be considered fun or endearing, and makes a lasting impression on others. Other characters and audience members will want to ask questions, become friends, become rivals, become enemies, or even love interests. Some people will want to make fanart! Some people will want to role-play with your character! If no one wants to interact with your character much, it's probably because they don't find them very compelling or interesting, or they find the character obnoxious and want to ignore their existence. Both are bad. You can help solve some of this by developing them more through comics so that people can see the character interacting with other characters. This helps people get an idea of your character more and see if they want to interact too. If your character is not compelling or entertaining, then chances are you will have a ridiculously hard time figuring out how other characters should interact with yours. Especially if your character is being inserted into a fandom, you will have a hard time making canon characters stay in character while trying to interact with a non-compelling character. Don't get caught up in over-thinking your character's design if it prevents you from actually ever using them Don't get so caught up in creating the "perfect character that is not too perfect" that you forget to actually do anything meaningful with your character! You're thinking too much! Why'd you even make them if you're not going to use them for anything??? Don't waste all your time planning out their whole story and every nuance so that by the time you're actually done, you don't feel like you want to do it anymore. Part of the fun and point of designing a character is seeing the character go on a journey and grow as you use them. This means stories, pictures, comics! You don't have to know every twist and turn ahead of time! You are your audience too! You want some of your character to be a mystery even to you, so you can be just as enthralled in their adventure as you'd like for others to be. So if you're stuck on "design", then JUST DRAW SOMETHING. On Mary-Sues, Gary-Stus, and other character creation shennanigans There are lots of definitions on what makes a "Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu", but most people do not like them, and there's a lot of subjectivity involved. Here's my list of quick and dirty rules for whether a character is one of those bad "Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu" characters: + is the character entertaining to you and others? + is the character liked by yourself and others? + do people want to root for the character? + do other characters, other people's characters, and the audience members want to interact with the character? => it all boils down to: IS YOUR CHARACTER COMPELLING (interesting + convincing)? IF YES TO ALL THE ABOVE, THEN CONGRATS. YOUR CHARACTER IS NOT A TERRIBLE MARY-SUE. According to me, "Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu"ness most strictly refers to main characters that no one really likes or wants to interact with. They may hog the spot-light with all their design (intense, intricate, poor, bad, over-design, etc.), but few want to watch because they aren't entertaining. They feel boring and most people's brains turn off when encountering them. Of course, some people just like throwing the term around for almost any character they don't like. Or some people just like labeling everything that's not designed to their tastes as a "Mary-Sue". These templates were edited from original found at: http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/youngjustice/index.html Editing and using these templates are believed to fall within Fair Use guidelines. Category:Templates